Quick Facts
Biography
Prof. Dr. med. Stefan Zielen (born 4 February 1957 in Frankfurt) is a German physician for allergic and respiratory diseases and head of the Centre of Allergology, Pneumology and Mucoviscidosis of the Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine of the University Hospital of Frankfurt.
Career
After completing his A-levels in Frankfurt, Zielen studied medicine at the University of Frankfurt from 1975 to 1983. From 1985 to 1990 he worked at the Paediatic Clinic at the University of Frankfurt. In 1989,he qualified as a specialist forpaediatrics, and in 1991, he qualified as a specialist for allergology . From 1990 to 1991, he held a research fellowship in the Department of Applied Immunology under Dr S.C. Meuer at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg. He then became senior physician of paediatric allergology and pneumology and held this position until 1998. In 1994, he published his habilitation thesis on the topic of T cell regulation in patients with general variable immunodeficiency (CVID). In 1996, he completed training courses in paediatric pneumology. These were certified by the Medical Association. From 1998 to 2002, Zielen was Professor of Paediatrics at the Chair of Paediatric Allergology and Pneumology at the University of Bonn. From there, he became professor for paediatric allergology, pneumology, and mucoviscidosis at the University of Frankfurt.
Research focus
The main focus of Zielen's research is the molecular and cellular processes of the pathogenesis of allergic and chronic pulmonary diseases (e.g. asthma, allergic diseases, muscoviscidosis, and Ataxia telangiectasia). The aim is to better understand complex procedures in chronic inflammatory processes within the lung in order to develop new therapeutic options.
Scientific achievements
Zielen has published over 180 peer review papers, which can be found on Pubmed. He is an expert in asthma, rare lung diseases, and allergic diseases. Since 1990, he has been involved in numerous clinical studies as principle investigator (PI).
In the last 10 years, six members of his working group have been habilitated.
Zielen has received several awards for his research:
Messer Prize of the JW Goethe University: CD40/CD40 ligand regulation in primary immunodeficiencies
Main prize of the German Society for Heredo-Ataxia for his work "Pathogenesis, Diagnostics, Symptoms, and Therapeutic Aspects of Ataxia telangiectasia
Honorary member of the Hungarian Respiratory Society
Zielen is a regular keynote speaker at specialist conferences:
2002: President of the German Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases (DGPI) in Wiesbaden
2006: President of the German Society of Paediatric Pulmonology (GPP) in Frankfurt
2009: Secretary of the DGKJ in Mannheim Germany
Memberships and offices
Society of Paediatric Infectiology (DGPI)
Society for Paediatric Pneumology (GPP)
Society for Pneumology (DGP)
Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ)
Since 2002, board member of the Ethic Committee in Frankfurt